I tested the CHEAPEST CAMERA on Amazon...

Cameras have come a long way over the years, and you no longer need to spend a fortune to get great photos in most cases. But how little can you get away with spending? I visit Snowdonia National park with the cheapest camera I could find on Amazon in this video, to see if a camera that has 18 megapixels and costs less than a t-shirt can deliver good results!

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Thank you :)

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MUSIC:

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GEAR:

These are affiliate links, it costs you nothing to use them but I get a small percentage from Amazon when you buy something, so thanks! :-)

Cameras:

Lenses:

Accessories:

[JamesPopsysPhoto]

And please let me know if you find any Netflix Gems in different countries!

[ReinoldFZ]

I liked the photos from the cheap camera more than the pixel, I guess I'd use my soft gnd to get a bit more of dynamic range, a simple tripod for cellphones and that is all. The Pixel has much computational alteration to my taste.

[angelangelov]

The term "digital lens" inspires a lot of confidence.

[AndrewSowerby]

I've done the maths, and can confirm that the 18 Megapixels is exactly nine times better than the Pixel 2

[DerVagabundli]

What I took from this video: if you're absolutely broke and want to make videos to share your photos on YouTube, the cheapest camera is actually kind of not totally unusable because viewed on a phone screen (like most users do) they look fine. Or at least as bad as anything else after YouTube's compression.

[TobyDeshane]

Huh. I was actually rather impressed by how good the shots came out, all things considered. Sure, they're shit by today's standards, but I was kind of _expecting_ major hot potato garbage like the ones I took from my old Palm Zire 71 PDA (300k pixels!).

A couple examples from June 2003 just for fun:

[befer]

i unironically really like the "retro nat-geo feel" of the cheap camera. The colors are interesting, the lightning is pretty shit to be fair, the sky is just a white blob.
But it has potential to take interesting wildlife photos? maybe?
I need to see how it performs on moving objects and maybe with lens

[LittleTipple]

I have to say, what this video really proved to me was that it’s not the camera, it’s the photographer and the subject... it may just be the YouTube algorithm, but at a brief glance, those photos were good photos - composition, light, subject etc. Fine details may have been lost, but you caught the moments beautifully...

[br]

I expected much worse. Tbh some of those photos were pretty okayish.
I've seen some similar "cheap camera challenge" videos, but not a landscape photography version yet, so thanks James for this content! ✌

[billywindsock]

My Therapist: What is the first thing you should do if you start to feel unhappy or low?
Me: Click 'add to basket?'

[lunarsquad]

Ill be honest, the photos when not cropped in are not the worst. Maybe good for kids to get the eye or even someone who is more veteran to refresh their eye I think it would be good!

[danielhenzphotography]

Oh no, he was on Amazon again. Emily, get his credit card or you won't get your new house.
So, is that the camera you said you need to redo the "what's in my camera bag" video?

[adinwalls]

I love how the spots where you stop to chat low-key absolutely epic vistas.

[xxOzziexx]

Doesn’t like tripods, don’t use them, don’t like them. So what’s that behind you at 5:18 but a bloody big tripod?? Maybe you are a secret tripod lover really 🤣

[beckydean]

Endless Canon R5 reviews on youtube... nah I'm ok thanks.
James Popsys reviewing a £29.99 'camera'... yes please!

[markusdoring]

Doesn't work with a tripod? Come on James, that was the moment we all knew the camera wouldn't fit to you. Step by step you slowly start to love long Exposure photography. Don't fight it anymore! Let it happen! We've been wainting for you on the dark side of photography.

[deepu_btbx]

I remember getting my first camera, Nikon coolpix. It taught be some times being lmited by your gear teaches you to step up your creativity

[joeframo]

You just proved that you don't have to spend a whole lot of money on the camera to get beautiful pictures thank you thank you thank you 👍

[verablack]

You can find an Olympus Camedia C-5050 used for between $20-60 so, same price range and while it only has 5mp it's images are a million times better than that camera. It even has a reasonably sharp f/1.8 35-105mm eqv. zoom lens on it. You can get a good camera in this price range.

[barrywebber]

It was never going to be "world beating" at £30 but some zoomed in comparisons between cheap camera, phone and Panasonic photos would have shown just how rubbish it was.
The scenery was stunning.
Thanks for posting, I hope you weren't blocking up the roads in Snowdonia! :-)